Research part 2

Article 1:

"Turkey and Europe's Problem with Radical Islam"

Sonar Cagaptay, Duden Yegenogly, and Ekim Alptekin

CIAO database

This article poses the question of whether or not Islam is compatible with European values. The authors begin by discussing whether or not Europe has a Muslim problem. They provide statistical facts regarding the population of Muslims that live in EU member states along with evidence discussing the number of Muslims that are turning to radical ideologies.

The article then goes on to address the situation in Turkey in regards to the Muslim population. Turkey is a secular state, which means that there is a clear separation between religion and the state. The last portion of the article talks about the implications for Europe and provide two remedies for the issue. They claim that Turkey is Europe's ideal candidate because of their population size. They also believe that Turkey will provide Europe with lessons on how to deal with and possible modernize Islam

"European Union Enlargement: A Status Report on Turkey's Accession Negotiations

Vincent Morelli and Carol Migdaovitz

This article provides readers with an overview of the negotiation process regarding the accession of Turkey into the EU. October of 2009 marked the fourth anniversary of the EU's decision to go ahead with formal negotiations wit Turkey toward full membership in the EU,. The article discusses the various reasons as to why negotiations have taken so long. Some of these issues include slow critical reforms with Turkey and Turkey's failure to live up to its agreements to extend the benefits of its customs union with the EU to Cyprus. But further complicating the process includes the issue of the growing Muslim population within the EU and how cultural differences within Turkey would impact the EU.

"Tackling Turkey's Image Problem in the European Union"

Antonia Ruiz Jimenez

Ciao database

This article begins discussing the issue of Turkey and the role "differences in values and standards" has played in the accession of Turkey. Next, reasons as to why there is a shrinking number of supporters for the accession of Turkey. One of the main reasons as to why the number of supporters is shrinking, is based on the belief that the accession of Turkey means there is a possibility of 70 million, mainly Muslim Turks, becoming part of the EU. This in the eyes of many Europeans poses a huge cultural threat. The article ends by citing numerous ways the accession of Turkey can be promoted. One of the ways is through EU elites and the help of the US government. Turkey and EU elites need to work together with Turkish organizations throughout the EU to help bolster the compatibility of Islam and national loyalty to European governments.